Ex-Presidents to Rise Again

Sometimes it just makes sense to update a Hollywood classic. The clothes, the haircuts, the pop culture references, the camera techniques, lighting styles, and film stocks can all seem outdated after several decades. Polishing the surfaces and bringing in some new actors to relive a beloved old legend from the vaults and expose it to a whole new audience, that’s what storytelling is all about.

Or maybe somebody just wants to see Johnny Utah chasing a bank robber wearing a George W. Bush mask.

Though the 1991 surfing/action film “Point Break” was only a modest hit theatrically, its pop-culture cache has grown over the years, thanks lately to both the hugely-popular touring reality-play “Point Break Live!” and its status as a running joke in Edgar Wright’s 2007 cult favorite “Hot Fuzz”.

Now the Kathryn Bigelow-helmed original is being remade by Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment, with producers looking to begin the search for a director in the very near future based on a script by “Salt” screenwriter Kurt Wimmer. Alcon co-founders Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove reportedly secured rights to the original movie on the 20th anniversary of its release.

Kosove and Johnson are producing along with Michael De Luca, John Baldecchi, Chris Taylor and Wimmer.

Hollywood’s lackluster summer was widely blamed on sequel-itis and remake-mania; glad to see that they’re finally learning their lesson and avoiding repeating the same mistakes yet again.

Match me, Sidney—I'm drinking in the Sweet Smell of Success from my regular table at the 21 Club.

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1.
bianchi_roadie

For all of you who ask “Has Hollywood run out of ideas?” The answer is “no, but they realize they don’t have to be original or good”. The big studios and recording companies realize it’s easier to milk mediocre ideas than work hard to produce original content. With enough campaign donations, they can get laws established to extend copyright laws, violate privacy and prosecute people without trial (see PROTECT IP what ICE is doing).

Especially in this administration, where the entertainment industry has invested heavily in and has several ex-employees on committees on intellectual property.